Answer: (c) Delhi

Answer: (b) 7.2 Mts

Answer: (a) mound

Answer: (a) Shiva, Vishnu and Durga

Answer: (a) Mandapa

Answer: (a) Ilango

Answer: (b) Kalidasa

Answer: (c) Sanskrit

Answer: (b) Mahabharat

Answer: (b) Ayodhya

Answer: (a) Mathematician

ery Short Answer Type

Question 1.
Write important events against the following dates:

1. 2300 years ago
2. 2000 years ago
3. 1600 years ago
4. 1500 years ago
5. 1400 years ago.

Answer:

Buildings, Paintings, and Books Class 6 Extra Questions Short Answer Type

Question 1.
Describe in brief about the Iron Pillar at Mehrauli, near towering Qutub Minar, in Delhi.
Answer:

• The Iron pillar at Mehrauli (near towering Qutub Minar), in Delhi, is remarkable example of the skill of crafts persons.
• It is made of iron, 7.2 M high, and weighs over 3 tonnes.
• This pillar was made nearly 1500 years ago. We know the date because there is an inscription on the pillar mentioning a ruler named Chandra, who probably belonged to the Gupta dynasty.
• This iron pillar is a great proof of advancement of metal work in India because it has not rusted in all these years.

Question 2.
How were stupas built in ancient India?
Answer:

• There were several stages in building a stupa.
• Generally, rulers or their wives decided to build stupas. They probably spent money from their treasury to support those who worked to build these splendid structures.
• Then, good quality stone (or baked bricks) had to be found, quarried, and transported to the place that was usually carefully chosen for the new building.
• Skilled labourers and artisans were called at the place of construction. The rough blocks of stone had to be shaped and carved. And then these had to be placed in precisely the right position.

Whenever devotees came to visit the stupas, they often brought gifts, which were used to decorate the building. For instance, an association of ivory workers paid for one of the beautiful gateways at Sanchi. Others who were paid for decorations included merchants, farmers, garland makers, perfumers, smiths, and hundreds of men and women who are known only by their names.

Question 3.
Discuss the features of the Ajanta Painting.
Answer:

• Ajanta is a place where several caves were hollowed out over centuries. Most of these were monasteries for Buddhist monks, and some of them were decorated with paintings.
• Most of the Ajanta paintings were done in the light of torches.
• The colours, which are vivid even after 1500 years, are made of plants and minerals.
• The artists who created these splendid works of art in caves of Ajanta remained unknown.

Buildings, Paintings, and Books Class 6 Extra Questions Long Answer Type

Question 1.
What is the meaning of the word Stupa? Mention certain common features of the stupa.
Answer:
I. Meaning of the word Stupa. The word stupa means a mound. Stupas are Buddhist religious buildings. While there are several types of stupas, round and tall, big and small. These have certain common features.

II. Common features of the Stupa:
1. Generally, there is a small box placed at the centre or heart of the stupa. This may contain bodily remains (such as teeth, hone or ashes) of the Buddha or his followers, or things they used, as well as precious stones, and coins. This box, known as a relic casket, was covered with earth. Later, a layer of mud brick or baked brick was added on. And then, the structure was sometimes covered with carved stone slabs.

2. Often, a path, known as the pradakshina patha, was laid around the stupa. This was surrounded with railings. Entrance to the path was through gateways. Devotees walked around the stupa, in a clockwise direction as a mark of devotion. Both railings and gateways were generally decorated with sculpture.

Question 2.
Discuss in short some of the earliest Hindu temples.
Answer:

• Along with the Buddhist stupas, we also find some of the earliest Hindu temples. Deities such as Vishnu, Shiva, and Durga were worshipped in these shrines. For example such temples are found at Bhitargaon in Uttar Pradesh.
• Bhitargaon’s Hindu temples were built about 1500 years ago. These temples were built of baked brick and stone.
• The most important part of the temple was the room known as the garbhagriha. Where the image of the chief deity was placed. It was here that priests performed rituals, and devotees offered worship to the deity.
• Generally, as at Bhitargaon, a tower, known as the shikhara, was built on top of the garbhagriha, to mark this out as a sacred place. Building shikharas required careful planning.
• Most Hindu temples also had a space known as the mandapa, where people could assemble.

In south India Mahabalipuram and Aihole, two towns were very famous for their temples. Some of the finest stone temples were built in these towns. Three of these temples are – (1) the Rathas, (2) Shore temple, (3) and Durga temple. These temples were built about 1400 years ago.

Monolith or single stone temples are also very beautiful and impressive. A temple that was carved out of a huge, single piece of stone (that is why, it is known as a monolith). Making temples such as this one was very different from building in brick. Brick structures are built up by adding layers from the bottom upwards, while in the case of this temple (monolith), the stone cutters had to work from top downwards.

Question 3.
Explain the meaning of the word Epics. Discuss two Tamil Epics.
Answer:

I. Epics. Some of the best known epics were written during ancient Indian historical period. Epics are grand, long compositions, about heroic men and women and include stories about deities.

II. Two Famous Tamil Epics
1. The Silappadikaram. A famous Tamil epic, the Silappadikaram, was composed by a poet named Ilango, around 1800 years ago. It is the story of a merchant named Kovalm, who lived in Puhar and went to Madurai, where he was wrongly accused of theft by the court jeweller of the Pandya king, who sentenced him to death. Kannagi, who still loved him was full of grief and anger at this injustice, and destroyed the whole city of Madurai.

2. The Manimekalai. Second Tamil epic, the Manimekalai was composed by Sattanar around 1400 years ago. This describes the story of the daughter of Kovalan and Madhavi. These beautiful compositions were lost to scholars for several centuries till their manuscripts were rediscovered, about a hundred years ago.

Buildings, Paintings, and Books Class 6 Extra Questions Multiple Choice Questions

Choose the correct answer:

Question 1.
In which city is the iron pillar of Mehrauli located?
(a) Bihar
(b) Mathura
(c) Delhi
(d) Chandigarh
Answer:
Delhi

Question 2.
What is height of the iron Pillar?
(a) 12 Mts
(b) 7.2 Mts
(c) 5.0 Mts
(d) 8.2 Mts
Answer:
7.2 Mts

Question 3.
What does stupa mean?
(a) mound
(b) round
(c) tall
(d) short
Answer:

Question 4.
Who are the God and Goddess whose statues are worshipped in Temples?
(a) Shiva, Vishnu and Durga
(b) Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi
(c) All of these
(d) None of these
Answer:
Shiva, Vishnu and Durga

Question 5.
Name the hall where people could assemble.
(a) Mandapa
(b) Shikharas
(c) Garbhagriha
(d) None of these
Answer:
Mandapa

Question 6.
Who composed Silappadikaram?
(a) Ilango
(b) Banbhatta
(c) Kalidasa
(d) All of these
Answer:
Ilango

Question 7.
Who composed Meghaduta?
(a) Banbhatta
(b) Kalidasa
(c) Surdasa
(d) None of these
Answer:
Kalidasa

Question 8.
In which language were the Puranas written?
(a) Hindi
(b) Tamil
(c) Sanskrit
(d) English
Answer:
Sanskrit

Question 9.
Which war was fought between the Kauravas and Pandavas?
(a) Ramayana
(b) Mahabharat
(c) Both of these
(d) None of these
Answer:
Mahabharat

Question 10.
Which was the capital of Kosala?
(a) Hastinapur
(b) Ayodhya
(c) Kamal
(d) Delhi
Answer:
Ayodhya

Question 11.
Who was Aryabhatta?
(a) Mathematician
(b) Zoologist
(c) Archaeologist
(d) None of these
Answer:
Mathematician